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Topic: Mt. Oscar: A Rough Guide to Mt. Oscar (Read 4148 times)

A Rough Guide to Mt. Oscar:(by Jamie Cunningham with consultation from Jon Sykes)

Getting there: Turn off of route 302 onto the Zealand Notch Road (closed during the winter) located between Twin Mountain and Bretton Woods. Drive approximately .8 miles to the trailhead parking just beyond the campground areas and before the bridge at Zealand River (the paved road ends after the bridge). Across the road (east) is a gated forest service fire access road. They logged off of this road the winter of 2009 and it passes through fresh log landings and small clear cuts. Walk for about twenty minutes. To the west are great views of Mt. Hale and the cliffs on Middle Sugarloaf. Look for a small boulder (about 8 foot cubed) located on the east (left) side of the road and just before a log skidding road also on the left. A large clear cut will be on the west (right) side of the road. Turn left onto this skid road and follow for about 300 feet. At a rock cairn branch left onto a climber,s trail which leads to the left side of Mt. Oscar,s cliff after approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Mt. Oscar Climbs: Routes are described from left to right. There are twenty eight climbs documented here.

The first four climbs are on the wall directly above the entry trail.

1. Crescent 5.7This nice 5.7 starts at the obvious right facing flake and crack start (defines boundary between two walls) then trends up and left and finishes on slabs above and out of sight. There is a bolted direct finish to this climb as well called Doh! (think Homer Simpson).

2. ___?_______ 5.9Climb the center bolted face to two bolt belay.

3. _____?______ 5.9Slab/face with series of bolts leading to 15 foot crack leading to a white prow. Crack converts to a left facing corner that defines the left side of the prow.

4. Ben Zen Send 5.8Start at left facing flake that leads to a left ascending diagonal crack. Traverse 10' on this crack and climb face above that links three intermittent crescent cracks to the top. Can be seepy after rainy days.

7. Randy,s Super Fine Triplelishes 5.10-Link two shallow left facing corners to a higher shallow right facing corner to the top.

8. Coffee Achievers 5.11Same start as R.S.F.T.1. Climb first corner of RSFT to two bolt belay.2. Climbing from right of the belay climb bolted face to the top (5.11).

8a. Variation: French Roast 5.11Direct start to Coffee Achievers. Start on rock pedestal to right of RSFT,s first corner. Clip bolt to under cling flake. Gain left rising ledge to join Coffee Achievers.

9. Bipolar Brain Flush 5.9Start 25, right of RSFT. Climb to bolt 10, from ground and over horizontal flake/bulge. Climb up to bolted left leaning 5  crack to the top.

9a Variation: Bipolar Brain Fart 5.8 RDirect start to Bipolar Brain Flush. Climbs the lower dirty crack line that leads into the upper crack of Bipolar Brain Flush. Note: When this link up was done it was done entirely without clipping any of the bolts on BB Flush.

10. Oscar,s Last Stand 5.10Eighteen feet right to Bipolar Brain Flush. From ground climb bulge past two bolts to balsam fir with left leaning block at its base. Climb left facing corner leading to 2, over hang. Climb through over hang (crux). Climb disconnected shallow grooves with bolt protection to the top.

11. Bob Loblaw 5.7Start 20, right of Oscar,s Last Stand. Climb up and left using large solution crystal pockets to first and second bolt. Climb excellent 5.7 crack to the top.

12. _______?_________ 5.10This climb climbs through the lower plated flakes with a spruce tree and ledge at its top. Trend to bolted face above and onto the top.

13. Ugly Dirty 5.7Climb climbs arete left of the vegetated gully and up through some how through all that vegetation up there!

14. Vegetated Gully

Next two climbs start on top of block ledge with single dead birch (center of ledge) and cluster of three dead birches (right of ledge).

15. Cunningham,s Crusade 5.8From the left side of the birch ledge, traverse left into climb, past three bolts, to a right facing flake. Climb up and trending left to black overlap with right facing corner (has rotten rock to its right). Climb through this short corner aiming for the higher over hang (bolt below it) and turn overlap at right facing flake to the top.

16. Three Bubba,s Trilogy 5.11Starting at center of dead birch ledge climb bolted line up white face to the top.

17. _______? __________5.8+Climb leaning tongue slab with crack in its center to upper face with left leaning crack that leads to the top. (Just right of cluster of three dead birches)

18. Vegetated Line 5.6

19. Oscar the Grouch 5.9Look for a prominent wide 3-5  crack. With awkward access from the ground follow left to right snaking hand crack to a bolt (crux). Climb hand crack at 5.7 (very course- tape advised) that leads to a bolt on a slab. Climb past bolts on slabs to an arete finish.

The next two climbs ascend the open slab area with an overlap/over hang at 1/3rd height.

20. Charismatic Mime 5.81. Climb past bolts up to left side of horizontal overlap. Climb past bolts left of bushy ledge straight up to bolted belay. (5.2. From belay face climb to top past three bolts. (5.6)

21. Broken Clown 5.6Climb up slabs and turn horizontal overlap on its right side. Route find directly to the top. Somewhat run out and dirty. 180,. Walk traverse right to top of Bucking Bronco belay. Rap with two ropes.

Walk past vegetated slabs. Bucking Bronco Arete is defined by the large right facing corner that arches right to a blocky headwall. The blocky head wall is the second pitch of Raven Groove.

23. Bucking Bronco 5.8Look for bolts on slabs that lead to a small arete. Climb up for about 60, and moving left to the main skyline arete (Bucking Bronco). Make improbable move left with bolt onto the arĂÂȘte proper. Follow arete and slab to the top. Note: bolt on upper slab can be hard to see and is critical to clip especially if slab is wet.

24. Raven Groove 5.61. Follows corner with shallow groove past a bolt, continue straight up and left to two bolt belay to right of Bucking Bronco headwall. 120,2. Climb steep little head wall to the top. 60,

To the right of Raven Groove is a tree filled gully. To the right of this is a slab area defined by a large left facing corner (Wasabe Groove) that turns to a horizontal headwall to the left.

25. ________?_______ 5.7Fifty feet left of Wasabe Groove climb small slab ridge start for 10, to slabs that lead to a crack that splits the headwall above. Gain and climb low angle slabs to two bolt belay at the top. 180, Need two ropes to rap.

26. Wasabe Groove 5.8Climb prominent left facing corner with bolt on right wall. Top out on corner (second bolt) and climb long left diagonally groove (with bolts) to bolt belay of previous climb. 180, Need two ropes to rap.

27. Raven Ridge 5.6Climbs the bolted slab to right of Wasabe Groove,s corner. This climb is bound by a long left facing corner. Find two bolt belay after about 120,. Can rap with one 60 meter rope if you drop down into the Wasabe Groove corner area.

28. Cruising the Great Corner 5.7Bolted slab on topside of great corner to right of Raven Ridge. It Shares same belay as Raven Ridge.